The Christmas Sacrifice
by Mulderette
Summary: On Christmas Eve, Sam takes a bullet for Callen.
1. Chapter 1

"Gun!" Sam spotted the shooter, taking aim at his partner, out of the corner of his eye. He flung himself at Callen, tackling the smaller man down to the concrete as a flurry of gunshots was fired in their direction. He pulled out his SIG, but was unable to even get off a shot, before he felt the hot pain in the right side of his chest and his whole world went black.

xxxxx

"But my mom is making two pies," Deeks said, grinning at Kensi. "Apple and pumpkin. Your mom is making a chocolate trifle and cookies? Do they even realize there are only four of us having Christmas dinner?"

"And she's making a roast…just in case…"

"Just in case what?" Deeks asked. "Just in case our turkey explodes and we are trapped by a wall of stuffing for a week?"

"Well, your mom is bringing a ham, right?"

"Oh yeah, she couldn't not bring a ham," Deeks said. "Get ready to be eating lots of leftovers…"

"Lots and lots of leftovers," Kensi said, giggling.

"So, do you think this is a wild goose chase?" Deeks focused back on their current case as he steered the car into the parking lot. They were investigating a tip on a drug cartel and were supposed to be meeting up with Callen and Sam.

"I don't know," Kensi said. "Hopefully not. You'd think people would have better things to do on Christmas Eve than lead us on a wild goose chase. I mean even the bad guys celebrate Christmas, right?" She glanced out her passenger side window and her eyes widened in horror. "Deeks! Stop the car! Now!"

Without question, Deeks slammed his foot on the brake pedal and turned to Kensi, but she was already out the car door. He looked in the direction she was running and saw their teammates on the ground. "Damn." He flung open his door and chased after Kensi as he put a call into OPS. "Eric! We need an ambulance at our location," he said. "Callen and Sam are down. I repeat, Callen and Sam are down!"

As soon as he reached their teammates, Deeks knelt on the ground beside Sam and immediately began to put pressure over the copiously bleeding chest wound. "Damn. This looks bad," he said, feeling sick at the amount of blood staining Sam's Henley. "Kens?" He looked over at his partner who was by Callen's side. "How is he?"

Kensi shook her head as she searched Callen's body for injuries. "I don't know…His head is bleeding, but it doesn't look like a bullet wound." She gently put her hand on Callen's shoulder. "Callen? Callen, can you hear me?"

Callen groaned softly when he heard Kensi's voice and put his hand to his head, his eyes still closed. "What happened?" he murmured.

"Callen? It's Kensi. Can you open your eyes for me?" Kensi pleaded softly.

It was slow going, but Callen finally managed to do as Kensi asked and got his eyes open. His gaze immediately traveled to Deeks working over his partner. "Sam!" he called out as he weakly tried to get up, fighting through a wave of dizziness, but Kensi steadfastly held him down.

"Callen no," she said. "You're hurt. You need to lie still."

"Deeks?" Callen called pleadingly to his younger team member. "What's going on? Is he okay?"

"He's hanging in there, Callen," Deeks said, trying to look positive, but unable to disguise the bleak look in his eyes.

"Kensi, I'm okay, let me up," Callen said.

"No, the EMTs are on their way."

"I don't need an EMT," Callen protested, his blue eyes filled with emotion. "I need to be with Sam."

The sounds of sirens in the distance steadily grew louder until two ambulances pulled up and the EMTs rushed to the aid of the two injured men. Callen's eyes were fixed on the men working on Sam as he basically ignored the EMT who was examining him. "Can you tell me what's going on?" he asked, but no one paid any attention to him. He then looked at Deeks and Kensi imploringly. "Can you try to find out, please?"

"How long did you lose consciousness for?" the EMT asked Callen who finally turned to look at him.

"I have no idea." Callen said.

"It couldn't have been longer than 15 or 20 minutes," Kensi told the EMT. "He was only out for a few minutes after we got here and couldn't have been out for any longer than 15 minutes beforehand." That was the last time she and Deeks had communicated with their senior team members before arriving at the scene.

Deeks came over and squatted beside Callen. "They've gotten Sam's bleeding under control," he explained softly. "They're getting him ready for transport to the hospital."

"I'm riding with my partner," Callen said to the EMT who nodded. He couldn't help staring at Deeks' hands which were covered with blood. Sam's blood.

"I'll go talk to the guys in the other ambulance," the EMT said as he got up, leaving Callen with Deeks and Kensi.

"Callen?" Kensi's tone was gentle as she spoke. "Do you remember what happened?"

"I..." Callen tore his gaze away from Deeks and thought for a few moments. "Sam yelled out there was a gun and then he tackled me out of the way. I didn't even see anyone…I guess I hit my head…I don't really remember anything else."

"It's okay. You did good," Kensi smiled as she patted his shoulder encouragingly, then turned to Deeks. "We really need to check out the surrounding area, Deeks."

Deeks nodded. "You're right." He turned to Callen. "We'll meet up with you guys at the hospital later."

Callen nodded. "Okay…See ya," he replied softly.

xxxxx

Upon arrival at the hospital, Callen was brought to a treatment room in the ER and his partner was rushed into emergency surgery. His vitals were taken and then he was told to wait for a doctor to examine him. He could feel himself becoming drowsy as he waited and had to keep forcing himself awake. He was in the midst of such an episode when he heard a familiar voice.

"Callen?" He looked up and saw Michelle standing at the curtained entrance to his cubicle.

"Michelle." He was surprised to see her although he knew he shouldn't have been. Of course she would be there. Where else would she be?

"Are you alright?" she asked as she stepped inside the cubicle and walked over to him.

"I'm fine," he replied, nodding. "It's Sam…" he trailed off, unsure of what he wanted to say, just knowing that Sam's condition was all he cared about.

"What happened?" Michelle asked, eyeing the bandage on Callen's head.

"I'm so sorry…"

Michelle shook her head, plainly confused. "What are you sorry about? I don't understand…"

Callen sighed heavily. "Sam saw the gunman…I didn't... I guess he was aiming at me, I don't really know. Sam shoved me out of the way and ended up taking a bullet. It should have been me…not him…" He must not have been as focused as he should have been. He should have spotted the gunman himself.

"It wasn't your fault," Michelle said, trying to reassure her husband's partner. She could see the guilt in his eyes as plain as day.

Callen took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "It's Christmas Eve…he has a family to think about… I wish he would have just shot back and not bothered pushing me out of the way…"

Michelle gently rested her hand on Callen's cheek and stared at him emotionally. "You're his family too…you know that. You're family to all of us, Callen. Anyhow, I have a strong feeling that Sam is going to be okay. You need to believe that too."

"Mr. Callen? I'm Dr. Benjamin," a tall, dark haired man wearing a white coat, with a stethoscope around his neck, entered the cubicle.

Callen turned his head to face the doctor. "I really am perfectly okay," he said, watching as the doctor pulled out a penlight.

"Well, if you don't mind, just let me do my job and check you out," Dr. Benjamin said with a chuckle. "After all, it is what they pay me to do."

"Let the doctor examine you, Callen," Michelle said, in a tone she often used with Sam or the children when she wanted them to do something they were opposed to.

"Okay, fine," Callen replied and he did his best to sit still while the doctor performed a neurological exam and asked him numerous questions to test his mental status.

"It looks like you've sustained a mild concussion," Dr. Benjamin said after he had finished examining Callen. "We'll keep you here overnight for observation and you can likely be released tomorrow morning."

Callen shook his head. "No, sorry, Doc, but that's not happening."

"Christmas Eve festivities?" the doctor asked with an understanding smile.

"No, I'm going to be staying with my partner when he comes out of surgery," Callen stated.

"Callen…I'll be right there with Sam," Michelle gently reminded him. "I'll let you know if he needs you or if there are any changes in his condition. We don't even know what his condition is…"

"I need to stay with him," Callen said adamantly.

Dr. Benjamin sighed. "Will you allow me or one of the nurses to perform a neurological check every couple of hours?" he asked.

Callen hesitated, but finally nodded. "Alright, I'll agree to that."

Michelle shook her head, but didn't say anything to contradict him. "My husband's name is Sam Hanna," she told the doctor. "I'm not sure where he'll be after surgery, but you can be sure Callen will be in the same general area."

"Thank you," Dr. Benjamin said to Michelle. He jotted down Sam's name on a small pad before turning back to Callen. "If you experience any increasing symptoms, please let me know, worsening dizziness, slurred speech, increasing confusion, nausea or vomiting…"

"I will," Callen promised.

"I'll make sure to keep a close eye on him," Michelle said.

The doctor nodded at Michelle, feeling better that she would be keeping an eye on his patient. "I hope your husband makes a full recovery," he said to her before heading out of the cubicle.

xxxxx

After the doctor left, Michelle and Callen headed to the waiting room outside the surgical suite. There, they found Hetty, Deeks and Kensi waiting for them.

"Callen!" Kensi got up from her chair and gave him a warm embrace. "Are you okay? We were worried about you."

"I'm fine, Kens," Callen said, reassuringly.

"How are you holding up, Michelle?" Hetty asked the other woman who took a seat next to her.

"I'm okay, Hetty," Michelle said.

"And the children?"

Callen looked over at Michelle, feeling even more guilty. He hadn't even asked her about Aiden and Kam.

"They're hanging in there," Michelle said. "I was going to make a gingerbread house with Kam today. Aiden is going to do that with her instead."

Hetty nodded. "He's a good boy, very much like his father."

Michelle nodded and sighed softly. "I hate all this waiting and not knowing…"

"Sam is very strong," Hetty said, patting Michelle's hand. "We have every reason to be optimistic."

Michelle nodded. "You're right. Sam's a strong man and he has an incredible will to survive."

Hetty turned toward her team's leader and eyed him with concern. "Mr. Callen? What did the doctor say about you?"

"I'm fine, Hetty," Callen replied, wanting to divert her attention off him as quickly as possible.

"Is that his opinion or yours?" she asked.

"I just have a slight concussion, that's all."

Hetty looked at Michelle for confirmation. "The doctor did want to keep him overnight, but they made a deal that he would settle for neuro checks every couple of hours."

"See that you keep that deal, Mr. Callen," Hetty said, a note of warning in her tone.

"Yes, Hetty," he replied.

As the minutes slowly ticked by, Callen tried to think as positively as those surrounding him were, but he was finding it difficult. He remained obsessively focused on the fact that Sam had basically taken a bullet for him. He wasn't sure he would ever be able to forgive himself if Sam didn't pull through.

xxxxx

"Family of Sam Hanna?" a man dressed in green surgical scrubs entered the waiting room and looked around. He appeared grim and weary. It wasn't an encouraging image, certainly not the one that any of them wanted to see.

"I'm Sam Hanna's wife," Michelle spoke up, a slight tremor in her voice as she gazed up at the doctor. "How is my husband?"

"Hello, Mrs. Hanna, I'm Dr. Gerard. Your husband came through the surgery. We removed the bullet without any complications. However, he hasn't awoken from the anesthesia, which is concerning. Would you like to come and sit with him in Recovery? It may help to have a loved one present."

"Yes, of course," Michelle got up, gave a brief smile to the assembled group of Sam's friends and followed Dr. Gerard out of the waiting room.

Callen's eyes followed Michelle as she left the room, then he slumped back against his chair looking defeated. "Damn," he muttered under his breath.

"Now, now, Mr. Callen," Hetty said softly. "Don't get discouraged. Sam came through the surgery. That is the important thing."

"The rest of it didn't sound so good to me, Hetty," Callen said, nibbling on his lower lip distractedly.

"If I remember correctly, and I'm quite sure that I do, you had a bit of a hard time coming out of anesthesia yourself when you were shot on Venice Beach," Hetty recalled. Those had been a very bleak few days before they had finally been informed that Callen was expected to survive.

"I was shot five times…it was a very long surgery…whole different situation…"

"Everybody is unique," Hetty said. "Are you saying you're not even giving your partner a chance? It's Christmas Eve, Mr. Callen. Try to have some faith…some hope…"

"Trust me, Hetty. I know very well that it's Christmas Eve. I also know that Sam and Michelle shouldn't be here." He shot Hetty a sorrowful look and she couldn't find the proper words to reassure him. She knew how important Sam was to him. She refused to even think of the effect on him if this was to have a bad outcome.

Kensi got up from her chair and went over to Callen. She sat down beside him and wrapped her arm around him. "Come on, Callen," she said softly. "Sam will be alright. I know he will. He's too stubborn not to be. It's Christmas. He's going to wake up for Michelle…for his children…for you…for all of us. You have to believe that."

"Kensi's right," Deeks chimed in. "You've got to believe Sam will get through this, Callen. You know he would never give up on you if the situation was reversed."

'If the situation was reversed.' Deeks' words reverberated in Callen's head. The situation **_should_** have been reversed. That was the whole problem. Callen leaned into Kensi, allowing her to console him. He had to admit that it did give him a modicum of comfort to do so. Exhausted, he eventually slipped into a light doze, his head resting on her shoulder.

xxxxx

A little over an hour later, Michelle returned to the waiting area. "How is he?" Callen asked. He hadn't slept for long and was once again awake and anxious.

She shook her head, blinking back tears, displaying much more vulnerability than he had ever seen in her before. "He still hasn't woken up…they're moving him to the ICU." She looked at the rest of the team. "There's a waiting room there where you can all sit if you'd like." She then turned her eyes back to Callen. "I thought…I thought you might want to come and sit with us?"

"Of course," Callen said, nodding at her gratefully. He stood up and Michelle opened up her arms as she went to him and they hugged each other tightly. "He will be okay, Michelle. He has to be…"


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks so much for all your nice comments. As always, they are much appreciated. I decided not to leave you all hanging for too long. One more chapter after this one which I should finish in the next day or two. No cliffhanger here :)_

xxxxx

Michelle and Callen quietly sat with Sam as one, then two, hours went by. Callen was feeling the effects of hitting his head a little bit more than he wanted to admit. Eventually he fell asleep and was sleeping heavily when Sam finally started to come around. Michelle held Sam's hand tightly and pressed the buzzer for a nurse. "Everything's okay, Sam," Michelle soothed. "You're just fine, baby. You're on a ventilator because you had to have surgery, but you came through it just fine."

A nurse came into the room and noted that Sam had regained consciousness. "I'll get a doctor," she said as she hurried away. It only took a few minutes for the covering physician to return. Sam's condition was assessed and to his great relief, he was removed from the ventilator.

"Thirsty," Sam murmured hoarsely after he had finished coughing.

The nurse gave him a cup with some cold water. "Take small sips," she instructed.

Sam took a few sips through the straw. "Thank you."

The doctor then performed a quick examination and finally the medical personnel left the room.

"Oh Sam, I've been so worried about you," Michelle said, giving her husband a heartfelt look.

"I'm so sorry, baby," Sam said, soothingly. "Everything's okay now." It was then that his eyes went to Callen, still fast asleep on a reclining chair. "I didn't even know G was here," he said.

"Where else would he be, Sam? He's been very upset," Michelle said softly, with a fond look in Callen's direction. "He doesn't understand why you did what you did…put yourself in danger in order to save him…"

"And what about you?" Sam asked, gazing into his wife's eyes. "Do you understand?"

She hesitated before nodding. "I do…I know how much he means to you, I understand why you did what you did."

Sam sighed. "I saw that guy aiming at him and I just acted on pure instinct. I had to, Michelle." He shook his head, his eyes brimming. "We protect each other…it's just what we do. In the spur of the moment like that…I just had to…he's my brother, in every sense of the word."

Michelle took Sam's hand in both of her smaller hands and brought it to her lips then rested it back on the bed, still clutching it tightly. "I don't want you worrying about this anymore, Sam. Okay? Please…just concentrate on getting yourself better. I just thank God you're okay…that **_both_** of you are okay."

Sam turned his eyes toward the reclining chair where Callen was stretched out, still asleep. "He is okay, right?" he asked, a note of concern in his voice. "He's been asleep this whole time? He usually doesn't sleep so soundly."

"Well he did hit his head pretty hard," Michelle said, smiling. "Some guy built like a bull plowed right into him and he hit his head on concrete."

"You sound like him," Sam said with a chuckle.

Michelle stood up and leaned over Sam, kissing him gently on his lips. "I need to call the kids, let them know you're doing better. Not to mention, your team is all out in the waiting room, awaiting word."

"Tell them to go home," Sam directed. "I'm going to see what I can do about getting this one here to go home as well."

"You'd better just let him stay where he is," said Michelle, shaking her head. "The doctor wanted him to be admitted overnight, but he wouldn't hear of it. They've been giving him neuro checks periodically. He's better off staying put."

"Damn, he really did hit his head hard," Sam said, looking a little bit guilty.

"Stop that right now, Sam Hanna," Michelle ordered. "He's going to be fine. He's likely alive because of what you did. I'll be back soon, okay? I love you."

"Love you too, baby," Sam said. He watched his wife leave his cubicle and directed his attention to his partner. "Hey, G?"

Callen remained asleep as Sam grinned, wishing he had something to throw at his sleeping friend. "Hey, G, wake up!" he said, raising his voice. This time, he got Callen to groan faintly and stir, but only slightly.

"G…Don't make me get out of this bed," Sam said, a warning tone in his voice.

Finally, Sam got the reaction he wanted. Callen slowly opened his eyes and stared back at his friend, at first looking surprised, but then smiling. "Sam…you're awake…"

"More than I can say for you," Sam retorted. "I've been trying to wake you, but you've been dead to the world."

Callen shrugged. "Sorry...guess I was tired. How are you doing? Does Michelle know you're awake?"

"We had a whole conversation that you missed, G. Not to mention medical personnel extubating me, examining me, etc. You were really out of it. You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Sam. I'm not the one who was shot…"

Sam looked at him skeptically. "You seem off to me…"

"I said I was fine. I got checked out, you can ask Michelle. She was there." Callen shook his head, looking confused. "It's just…"

"It's just what?"

When Callen remained silent, Sam persisted. "It's just what, G?"

"I just…I don't understand, Sam…" Callen began tentatively. "It was Christmas Eve…you have a family…you could have…you could have been killed."

Sam nodded in agreement. "I do have a family, G…and you're part of that family…a very big part…"

"And what about your wife and kids, Sam? Right before Christmas?" Callen shook his head. "Thank God, you're going to be okay. I just…I can't imagine them having to go through that kind of pain if…" He didn't finish the sentence, didn't want to keep saying the words.

"I never would have wanted that either…" Sam said quietly. "It's not like I had a chance to think it through…but even if I did…if I think your life is in danger, I'm going to try to save it…every single time. You're my brother, G…I could never just stand by and watch someone try to kill you and do nothing about it."

Callen bit his lip and looked down for a few moments, then looked back up and met Sam's eyes. "I understand why you'd want to keep me safe, Sam, but…in a case like this one, I would have gladly given my life in order for you to be safe and sound with your family."

Sam shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, G…but you don't get to make that choice for me. I like the way this worked out just fine. Fine, maybe I got a little banged up, but we're both still alive and I think the trade off is well worth it."

"What trade off?" Michelle asked as she came back into the room and looked at the two men, both who looked emotional and very serious. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No," Callen said.

"Yes," Sam said, smiling at his wife. "But it's a welcome interruption. Maybe you can help my pigheaded partner see my point."

"Sam no," Callen protested, looking distressed. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"G here refuses to grasp why I needed to try to save him."

"Oh Callen," Michelle said, putting her fingers under his chin and gently tilting his head towards hers when he refused to meet her gaze. "Wouldn't you have done the same thing for Sam?"

"Of course," Callen answered. "But Sam has you and Aiden and Kam…it's a very different thing."

"So your life is worth less because you're not married?" she asked.

"No…yes…" he shrugged and looked downward again.

"So if I wasn't married," Sam began. "You wouldn't try to save me if I was in danger?"

"Of course I would," Callen said quickly, but realized his mistake right after speaking. "I mean…"

"Too late, G," Sam said, grinning.

Callen sighed heavily, blaming his slower than usual mental processing on his headache.

Michelle looked at Callen and took pity on him. "I really don't think we need to continue this conversation," she said softly. "Let's just hope the neither of you ever has to give his life for the other, okay? I, for one, am just happy you're both okay. Let's leave it at that."

At that moment, Dr. Gerard entered the room. "Hello, Mr. Hanna. I'm Dr. Gerard, your surgeon. Dr. Blake told me you were awake. That is very good news, indeed. I know he examined you, but I'm going to take a quick look at you, as well, if you don't mind."

"Sure go for it, Doctor," Sam said and the doctor proceeded to give him brief, but thorough, examination.

"Everything looks good," Dr. Gerard said as he completed the exam. "I'm going to see about getting you transferred into a regular room, although that probably won't happen until morning."

"Sounds good. Thanks very much," Sam said.

"You're welcome. I'll see you when I make my morning rounds," Dr. Gerard said as he began to head out of the room. Just before he left, he turned around and said, "And Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Sam echoed. "Speaking of Christmas…" He turned his head towards his wife. "You really should get home and put the gifts under the tree…I'm sorry I won't be there to help you…"

Michelle smiled. "Everything is already wrapped, Sam…it's nothing I can't do myself. Although…I think we should wait until we can do Christmas together as a family."

Sam shook his head. "I don't want to make Kamran wait, Michelle. It's not fair to her. You all can just come and visit me later in the day. Trust me, after all that's happened, that's all I need, to be able to see and be with my family."

"Alright, you're sure?" she asked as Sam nodded. "Okay." She kissed him gently. "If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to call me. I don't care what time it is. That goes for you too, Callen."

"I'm fine, Michelle," Callen said. "But thanks."

"Okay. You guys take care of yourselves. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight," Sam said and Callen echoed his partner.

"Some Christmas," Sam said, smiling.

"You really need to get some sleep, Sam," Callen said.

"Since when are you such a proponent of sleep?" Sam asked, grinning mischievously at his friend.

"Since now," Callen answered. "Seriously, Sam. Get some rest."

"You okay?" Sam asked.

Callen stared back at his partner. "I'm fine. You're the one lying in the hospital bed, not me. Now sleep."

"That chair doesn't look all that comfortable," Sam mumbled as he shifted about, trying to get himself situated.

Callen grinned. "You actually look more uncomfortable than I'm going to be, big guy. You said it yourself, you couldn't even wake me earlier."

"I think that was just because you hit your head so hard, not because you were lying in the lap of luxury."

"I really am okay, Sam…now, come on, sleep…"

"Okay fine." Sam realized Callen was worried about him so he finally relented and closed his eyes in an attempt to get some rest.

xxxxx

Both men dozed sporadically throughout the night. Finally, at 5 a.m. Callen gave up on trying to sleep. His headache was pretty much gone and he no longer felt particularly tired. He focused on his partner and how thankful he was that he was going to be okay. Every so often, disturbing thoughts would begin to creep into his brain, what would have happened if Sam had been killed? How would he have coped with it? What would Michelle and the kids have done? Whenever he let those thoughts in, he could feel the beginning of tears and he would quickly force his thoughts elsewhere. It was during one of those spells when Sam awoke and he looked at his partner who was seemingly lost in thought, looking uncharacteristically emotional.

"G?" Sam questioned softly.

Callen blinked swiftly a few times. "Merry Christmas, Sam," he said quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"Not too bad…Merry Christmas to you," Sam said. "G… Are you okay?"

Callen quickly nodded. "Yeah…you don't have to keep asking me that. I was just thinking…I'm good."

"Come on, G…I know you. You're obsessing over this. I'm fine, please just let it go, okay? It's not the first time one of us has saved the other. What's bugging you so much about this time?"

"Usually one of us doesn't get shot doing it, Sam," Callen said, a little bit more harshly than he had intended. He softened his tone as he went on. "It didn't help that it happened on Christmas Eve. I can't help it if it got to me…" He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "It just would have been really bad if…" He shook his head, trailing off. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. What time do you think Michelle and the kids are coming?"

"It's not even 6 a.m., G," Sam said, smiling. "I don't think they'll be here for a while."

"I probably should get going…"

"What?" Sam asked. That was the last thing he wanted, for Callen to head home and be by himself, with a head injury, no matter how mild, on Christmas Day. "You were supposed to be coming to my house today. I still expect you to spend the day with me and my family."

"Come on, Sam…after all that's happened, I think you and your family deserve a little bit of quality family time without any outside interference."

"So you're going to leave me here alone on Christmas morning?" Sam asked, having no qualms about using the guilt card. "If you feel that strongly, you can leave when my family gets here, okay? At least keep me company until then." He knew his family well. They would never let Callen leave once they got there.

Callen stared back at Sam, almost positive he knew what his partner was doing, but he wasn't one hundred percent sure. Sam appeared to be sincere. "Alright," he mumbled. "I won't leave until after your family arrives."

"Good," Sam smiled, satisfied as he picked up the remote control and aimed it at the television set. "Now let's find some nice happy, sappy Christmas show to watch and get you into a better state of mind."


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks for all the great reviews of the previous chapter. It is really appreciated. Here's the conclusion. Hope you like it :)_

xxxxx

Callen's mood was significantly improved as " _A Christmas Story_ " came to an end. Sam had been moved to a regular room and that alone had caused Callen's anxiety level to drop quite a bit. He was, at least beginning, to feel more like his normal self.

"So you really never saw that before?" Sam asked as he tasted the rubbery egg on his plate and then made a face as he pushed it aside.

"No, I never did," Callen said, shaking his head.

"Well, for future reference, it's on every year, starting on Christmas Eve, for 24 hours straight."

"I'll keep that in mind," Callen said, sighing as his stomach rumbled. "I'm starved, Sam. Why don't I go get us something decent somewhere for breakfast? You know you're not going to eat that."

"I don't know if a lot of places are open on Christmas Day, G. You don't have a car here either."

"Even the cafeteria must have something better than that," Callen said as he looked at the unappetizing breakfast on Sam's plate. "You'd think they'd serve something better on Christmas."

"Maybe they have a good Christmas lunch later," Sam commented, not looking particularly enthusiastic about the odds.

"Merry Christmas!" Deeks and Kensi said in unison as they walked into the room, both smiling brightly.

"Merry Christmas," Callen and Sam echoed, both surprised, but happy to see their two junior team members.

"How are my two little Christmas elves?" Deeks asked with a grin.

"We're good," Sam said. "You two are up bright and early. We didn't expect to see you here today."

"We brought you breakfast," Kensi said. "We weren't sure if you had already eaten. If you have, it's no big deal."

"I don't think we need to worry, Kens," Deeks said, pointing at Sam's basically untouched breakfast tray.

"Eww," Kensi wrinkled up her nose as she looked at the food in distaste. "That does not look good."

"It's definitely not good," Callen said. He looked at the bags Deeks was carrying with undisguised interest. "So…what did you bring for us?"

"We got two Lumberjack Breakfast Specials from Pennington's."

"Outstanding," Callen said, his eyes lighting up at the unexpected treat.

"You are allowed to eat, aren't you, Sam?" Deeks asked as he handed them the takeout containers and plastic utensils. It hadn't even occurred to him or Kensi that he might not be able to.

"Well, they did bring me that," Sam said, nodding at his tray, "so yeah, I can eat."

"That's good," Deeks said with a grin. "That would have been a little awkward."

"Just a bit," agreed Callen, "especially because I'm so hungry that I would have had to eat right in front of him. Thanks so much for bringing this."

"You're welcome," Kensi said. She turned towards Sam, a serious look on her face, watching as he opened his Styrofoam breakfast container. "But really, Sam…Are you doing okay?"

Sam nodded. "I'll be fine, Kensi."

"I've got to admit, you really scared us when we drove up and saw both of you lying unconscious on the ground," Deeks admitted.

"I'd imagine we did," Sam said, putting his fork into the hash browns and taking a mouthful with a contented sigh. "I don't eat like this very often, but damn this is good."

"Really good," Callen said, swallowing a mouthful of his eggs. "We were starved."

"So, what are you guys doing here anyway?" Sam asked. "I mean, we're obviously very happy to see you, but aren't your moms going to your place for Christmas?"

Deeks nodded. "They're already there."

"Wait…you walked out on them?" Callen asked, looking at Kensi and Deeks with amusement.

"You didn't…Did you?" Sam grinned at his partner then looked back at their visitors.

"We told them the truth, Sam," Kensi said, "that we were going to see our injured teammate in the hospital. It's not like we're going to be gone all day."

"But the real truth was, they were already driving us nuts and we couldn't get out of there fast enough," Deeks said.

"Deeks!" Kensi glared at him. "They're not that bad…it's Christmas."

"Really? You can actually say that with a straight face? You're good. She's good," Deeks said to Callen and Sam. "You should see all the food they brought. Mind you, they showed up at 7 a.m. I had to make at least 15 trips to their cars bringing in all the crap…Um I mean food that they brought. I thought we were opening up a soup kitchen for the homeless right in our kitchen."

"15 trips, Deeks?" Kensi asked. "That's an exaggeration."

"Not that much of an exaggeration," Deeks said, defending himself. "Fine, maybe it was more like 10 trips. Even so, there are only four of us. How much food can we possibly eat? We told them we were having a turkey. Do we really need a ham and a roast beef as well? It's crazy. Isn't it crazy?"

"Uh…" Sam and Callen exchanged a look. "Yeah, I guess it is kind of crazy," Callen said with a smirk.

"Thank you."

Kensi shot Callen a daggers look and he refocused intently on his breakfast. "I really like this food," he said. "Good, crispy bacon…"

"And four desserts…" Deeks muttered under his breath. "Not small desserts either… giant desserts. Jack and the beanstalk giant sized desserts…"

Kensi shook her head, but gave up on trying to defend their moms. She actually knew Deeks was right, but it was Christmas and she just felt they should be grateful for all that they had and enjoy the holiday. The two agents visited with Sam and Callen for a little while longer and then decided to head back home. "I don't want them to overfeed Monty or he won't have any room for his dinner later," Deeks explained to them with a grin.

"Merry Christmas, you guys," Callen said. "Thanks again for breakfast."

"Yeah, we really appreciate it," Sam said. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Kensi and Deeks echoed as they headed out of Sam's room.

xxxxx

"I'd like to be a fly on the wall at their Christmas dinner," Callen said after their younger teammates had left.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Sam said, sitting back against his pillows. The pain drugs he was on were working their magic and he felt full and pretty good for having been shot just the previous day.

"You need anything, big guy?" Callen asked, looking at his partner closely.

Sam shook his head. "I'm good, G."

Callen nodded and stole a quick look at his watch. It was already after nine. Sam had spoken to Michelle and his children earlier and the family was planning to arrive by 10 or 10:30. Once they did so, he planned to make himself scarce.

xxxxx

"Merry Christmas, daddy!" Kamran ran into the hospital room, ahead of her mother and brother. "Merry Christmas, Uncle Callen!" She flung herself into G's arms since she wasn't really able to do so with her father because of the safety railings on his bed.

"Merry Christmas, Kam," G said, returning the hug of the little bundle of energy. Kam then released Callen from her grip and carefully climbed onto Sam's bed to cuddle next to her father. "How are you feeling, daddy?" she asked solemnly.

"I'm good, sweetheart. Merry Christmas," Sam said, his eyes filled with emotion as he kissed his daughter.

"Merry Christmas," Michelle and Aiden said as they came into the room. Michelle was carrying a small tree and Aiden had a large bag, presumably filled with presents.

"How are you two feeling?" Michelle asked as she placed the tree on the nightstand next to Sam's bed. "We thought we would bring you a little bit of Christmas." She smiled as she kissed Sam.

"I'm doing good, baby," Sam answered, gazing into his wife's eyes. "How are you, Aiden?" He looked up at his son who was standing beside his bed.

Callen was watching the little family reunion closely, trying to figure out when the best time to make his escape was. They didn't need him here. He was a definite fifth wheel.

"So what did you two get for Christmas?" Sam asked.

"We only opened some little gifts, daddy," Kamran replied. "We brought the other things here so we could open them in front of you."

"Yeah, it was no fun opening gifts without you being there, dad," Aiden said.

"We missed you, daddy," Kam wrapped her hands around Sam's neck and kissed his cheek.

"Well, you can open them up now then," Sam said, smiling happily at his family surrounding him. This was all he could ever want for Christmas. The people he loved the most all together with him.

Aiden fumbled through the bag of gifts and pulled out two which he handed to Kamran. "Uncle Callen first," she said, getting down off the bed and bringing the gifts over to Callen.

Callen felt his cheeks flush as he found himself the center of attention with everyone looking at him. "But…I don't have your gifts here…they're at home. I should go get them."

"Don't even think about it, G," Sam said, grinning at his partner.

"Open them, Uncle Callen!" Kam hopped from one foot to the other excitedly. "You can give us our gifts when daddy gets home from the hospital.

"Yeah, 'Uncle Callen,'" Sam said. "You can come to our house next week for New Year's."

"Yay! You're coming over for New Year's?" Kamran asked, smiling up at Callen. "I'm so happy!"

"I…" Callen looked from Kamran who was prancing around in excitement, to her father who was almost daring him with his eyes to try to get out of it, and he knew that he was beaten. "Yeah…I'll be over for New Year's, Kam," Callen said.

Michelle nudged her husband with her elbow. "You're so bad, Sam," she whispered. "Luring your own partner into a trap like that."

"It's not much of a trap," Sam rebutted under his breath. "He can eat, drink and watch football games. Trust me, he won't be trying to escape."

"He looks like he's hell bent on escaping today," she said observantly, her eyes on Callen who was opening the first gift Kamran had given him.

Sam had to admit that his wife was right. Callen was looking much more uncomfortable than he ever was with his family but, he thought it was just due to the situation. "He still feels guilty about what happened to me," Sam murmured. "He needs to get over that."

Callen finally got the wrapping paper off the heavily taped gift and found a mug with the words "Best Uncle Ever," printed on it. "Hey, this is great, guys. Thanks so much," he said with a smile.

"Because that's what you are!" Kamran said in a sing song voice. "Best Uncle Ever!"

"Did she eat a pile of sugar cookies before she got here?" Callen asked Michelle.

"Not one cookie, Callen," Michelle said, smiling. "It's just natural Christmas exuberance.

"Okay then…"

"Open the other present!" Kamran demanded.

Callen took the paper off the second package which was smaller than the first box had been. Underneath the brightly colored paper was a plain brown box, which he opened, and inside the box was a small black leather sheath. Callen carefully opened the sheath and pulled out what looked to be a very expensive knife. He turned it over in his hands and saw a script inscription on the blade which read "We Love You, Uncle Callen." He stared at it silently for several long moments, touched beyond words, not knowing what to say.

"Don't you like it?" Kamran finally asked, unable to keep quiet any longer.

"What? Yes, I love it Kam," Callen said, smiling at Sam's daughter. "It's beautiful…it just really surprised me is all. Thanks to all of you," he said. He looked at his partner, an unspoken question in his eyes, but Sam deftly moved on to everyone else opening their gifts and got the attention off of Callen. Some time later, when all the gifts were opened, Michelle excused herself to make a few phone calls to relatives. Kam was wearing earphones and playing with her new PlayStation Vita and Aiden was engrossed in watching a football game. Callen looked at Sam questioningly.

"What is it G? " Sam asked patiently, smiling at his partner.

Callen shook his head slowly. "I don't get it, Sam…we never give each other expensive gifts like this…It's a beautiful knife, but I just don't understand…why?"

"Well, I've got to say, the perfect timing of it, with all that happened yesterday, was a coincidence, but I just wanted you to know how much you mean to me…how much you mean to all of us…"

"But…I do know that, Sam," Callen said.

Sam shook his head. "No…with the way you've reacted to what's happened, I don't believe you know that, G…I don't believe it at all."

"Come on, Sam…" Callen said with a half laugh. "I do know…just because I was upset about what happened to you, doesn't mean I don't know that."

Sam stared back at Callen, unconvinced.

"And what if we flipped the script, Sam? What if it was me who pushed you out of the way and got shot?" Callen continued. "I wonder how you'd feel about it."

"I'd be grateful, G," Sam said emotionally, as he looked back at his partner. "Yes, I'd be worried about you and I'd thank God that you were still alive, but I would be grateful that I had another day on this earth and happy that you were still alive and had that also."

Callen stared back at Sam in stunned silence as the other man's words sunk in. He hadn't even thought about what a precious gift Sam had given him and he didn't mean the knife. Sam had risked his own life to try to save him and he hadn't even properly thanked him for it. "You're right, Sam," he said, bowing his head repentantly. "I'm sorry…you probably saved my life and I didn't even have the decency to say thank you. So, thank you, Sam. I really am grateful for what you did…"

Sam closed his eyes for a few moments and sighed. "G…you don't need to thank me. That's not what this is about. I just want you to accept what you mean to me and let's just move on, okay? It's Christmas. I'm okay. You're okay. Can't we just get past this?"

Callen opened his mouth, another apology about to come from his lips, but instead he just nodded. "Yes, Sam. We can move past it. You're right. The important thing is that we're both okay. I'm going to try very hard to focus on that."

"Thank you, G," Sam said with a smile. "That's all I ask."

Callen nodded. He definitely didn't want to cause his partner any undue distress. Neither Sam nor his family deserved that. "You've got it big guy," he said softly.

"Daddy, I'm hungry," Kamran said as she took her earphones off her head, totally oblivious to the conversation her father and Callen had been having.

"I'm sure your mother can take you to the cafeteria when she gets back," Sam said to his daughter.

"But I want to have dinner with you and Uncle Callen," Kamran said.

"Ho, ho, ho and so you shall," Deeks said as he came into the room with an armful of aluminum containers, followed by Kensi who also was carrying quite a bit. Both were wearing red Santa hats. Aiden quickly gave Kensi a hand with what she was carrying.

"Kensi, Deeks, what are you doing back here?" Sam asked.

"Did your moms kick you out?" Callen asked.

Before Deeks had a chance to answer the questions, Michelle and Hetty came into the room.

"It's a good thing you have a private room, Sam," Callen whispered to his partner with a smirk.

"Yeah, no kidding," Sam replied.

"Once we had all the food spread out on the table, our moms finally realized how insane it really was," Deeks said.

"It was actually their idea for us to bring dinner here for you," Kensi continued with a smile. "So here we are."

"It might not be super hot," Deeks said apologetically, "but it shouldn't be too bad. We reheated the hot foods before we came."

"It looks great to me," Sam said. "Thanks again, you two."

"It's the least we can do," said Deeks.

"And it gets all this food out of our place," Kensi said.

"Not a fan of leftover sandwiches?" Callen asked, his mouth watering as Deeks and Kensi began spreading out the food trays and uncovering them. He wasn't sure why, but he was starved again, in spite of the big breakfast.

"When do you ever have leftover sandwiches?" Sam asked, giving Callen a quizzical look.

"When your wife sends me home with leftovers," Callen said with a grin.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Hanna?" Hetty asked as she maneuvered her way through the small gathering in the room ,over to Sam's bedside.

"I'm good, Hetty," Sam reassured her. "Really good."

Hetty nodded in satisfaction. "That's very good to hear. We were quite worried about you." She turned to Callen and looked him over carefully. "And you, Mr. Callen?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," Callen said.

Sam and Hetty exchanged a look and Sam was about to give his partner another lecture on how they would always worry about him, but as Callen grabbed a roll from one of the trays and laughed at something Deeks said, Sam saw how at ease and happy his partner appeared and decided that it wasn't necessary. "Mr. Hanna, would you like turkey, roast beef or ham?" Hetty asked him as she prepared to fix him a plate.

"Actually, Hetty, I think I'd like to try all three," Sam replied with a grin.

xxxxx

"That was really good," a heavy-eyed Deeks said from the reclining chair he was lounging on with Kensi.

"It was indeed." Hetty nodded in agreement from the chair she was perched on. Deeks and Aiden had rounded up a few extras at the beginning of the meal. "My compliments to all the chefs."

"I definitely ate too much," Callen said, patting his very full stomach contentedly. "But it was really, really good."

"I loved everything!" Kamran said as she twirled around with her arms outstretched.

"Where does she get the energy?" Sam asked Michelle who was curled on his bed beside him.

"I have no idea," Michelle admitted.

"I think she has inherited an equal amount from the two of you," Hetty said with a fond smile at the girl.

"This has been a whole lot of fun, but we should probably get going," Kensi said as she slowly got up from the chair. "Sam should get some rest."

"I think you're right," Deeks said as he followed Kensi's example. "But at least we don't have to lug all that food back home." The team had done an impressive job eating it, especially Aiden who had eaten more than anyone had deemed possible.

"Yes, we don't want to overstay our welcome," Hetty said.

Callen looked at his soon to be leaving friends and spoke up. "Can any of you give me a lift home?" he asked.

"Sure, it's no problem, Callen," Deeks said.

"Thanks," Callen smiled and went over to Sam and Michelle. "Before you ask," he said softly. "I'm not running away or escaping or anything like that. I'm just kind of tired and I'm going home to sleep in my own bed."

Sam looked into his partner's eyes and fully believed that he was telling the truth. "Okay G. You do that. You go home and get some rest."

"Thank you, Sam," Callen said, giving a heartfelt look to both Sam and Michelle. "Thanks to both of you for everything…and I don't mean just the knife… I really appreciate it."

"We just treated you the way we'd treat any member of our family," Michelle said, smiling up at him.

Callen smiled back at her, a little shyly and then went to say his goodbyes to Aiden and Kam.

"You think he's good?" Michelle asked burrowing against Sam as he put his arm around her.

Sam watched his partner interacting with his children and team, just as he always did, and he nodded as he smiled at his wife. "Yeah, baby. I think he's just fine."


End file.
